150 Myanmar workers stranded without jobs in Thailand

Some of the 150 Myanmar workers stranded in Thailand after their broker failed to offer jobs that were promised. Photo – Aid Alliance Committee

More than 150 Myanmar workers, who went to Thailand to eke out a living legally have been stranded for almost three weeks without the jobs they were initially promised.

They entered the neighbouring country under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries, which facilitates movement of workers.

“We had to pawn our plot of land to come here and if we return we have no house to go back to. If we don’t get the contracted jobs, we want some job here,” one of the victims Ma Moe Thuzar told The Myanmar Times on October 5 via the phone.

Ma Moe Thuzar said she and her husband spent about K1,200,000 for broker’s fees and expenses for the oversea employment agency to work in Thailand.

The couple decided to working abroad because life was getting tough in their native village in Nyaung Lay Pin in Bago Region.

According to the workers, they arrived in Thailand on September 15 but the brokers failed to provide employment as promised earlier.

They also said only 20 workers from their group were sent to an iron factory to work while 150 workers are still waiting for their jobs at a fishery factory located in Maharthain. Almost half of the workers are female.

“I haven’t been working until now but the interest rate for our loan is rising daily. I will return home if I don’t get the contracted job here,” said Ko Hein Min Zaw, a farmer from Mon Ywar Region.

They also complaint that their agency plans to send the workers to other factories but they are reluctant to take up any employment in other sector than the fishery industry.

U Win Myint, managing director of Lucky Oversea Employment Agency said that the factory refused to hire the workers because their manager and brokers took fees from the workers.

“I will go there personally and will take full responsibility for our workers because this is our responsibility,” said U Win Myint.